This elective is designed to expose medical students to outpatient psychiatry with a forensic focus in a large VA hospital and in the Harris County criminal justice sustem. This elective will ve vased at the Domiciliary of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and the Verteran's Court Program of the Harris County District Court. The program focuese on treating mentally ill male and female verterans who have been paroled from prison and are living in transitional VA housing, or have been diverted from jail under the auspices of a mental health court. This elective provides students with experience in evaluating and treating dually diagnosed patients and provides an appreciation for the multitude of issues that arise when mentally ill offenders become engaged in the legal system. There are opportunities to contribute to multidisciplinary staffings in a clinical setting and as part of a mental health court team.

Learning Activities

Teaching focuses on improving student's diagnostic skills in evaluating and treating psychiatric and substance use disorders. This elective will provide an environment for students to learn different treatment modalities such as psychopharmacology, group psychotheraphy, and the workings of multidisciplinary treatment teams. There will be opportunity to learn how to perform a mental health court evaluation and write a report. Students learn to develop professional relationships as part of an outpatient treatment team. They experience firsthand the issues impacting psychiatric patients who are under court-monitored treatment as well as the challenge facing psychiatric patients burdened with a legal history. Students receive immediate feedback and supervision of interviewing and patient care skills. Students participate in case discussions with involved faculty and with other outpatient clinicians. To enhancetheir educational experience, students will be provided mentorship, academic time, and supervision by their faculty supervisor and be ecpected to produce a learning project (e.g., PowerPoint, educational flyer, review of current forensic literature, etc.) that is mutually agreed upon by the student and the faculty supervisor prior to the conclusion of the month.

Evaluation Methods

One to one faculty evaluation based on patient interview and management skills incorporating feedback from other clinicians, students presentations and write-ups.